Science Staff | San Diego Botanic Garden

Colin Khoury, Ph.D.

Senior Director of Science and Conservation. Colin was born and raised in the coastal sage scrub and the avocado and citrus orchards of San Diego County. He obtained a Master of Science in plant genetic resource conservation from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a PhD in production ecology and resource conservation from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He has held science and conservation positions at academic, nonprofit, industry, government, and international organizations across the US and in Italy and Colombia. Colin is thrilled to be back home, working for the conservation and use of plant diversity for people and for the planet.

Ari Novy, Ph.D.

President and CEO. Dr. Novy is a plant biologist with a wide range of expertise in plant science and education. Before joining San Diego Botanic Garden, he was Chief Scientist at the Leichtag Foundation, also in Encinitas, CA, and before that, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and regularly speaks on various horticultural and botanical topics nationally and internationally. Dr. Novy completed his graduate work at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he conducted research on plant population genetics, invasive species, plant conservation, horticultural improvement, agronomic risk assessment, beekeeping management, plant evolution and agricultural economics and policy. He remains an active researcher, holding an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor at Salk Institute for Biological Studies. For his complete bio, click here.

C. Benjamin (Ben) Naman, Ph.D.

Director of Medicinal Plants Research. Ben joined SDBG in 2022 to develop a program of responsible and impactful scientific research studying the chemical biology of medicinal plants with the potential for commercial translation. Ben obtained a BS degree in Chemistry and Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences with Specialization in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy from The Ohio State University. He moved to California as a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Ben has four years industrial experience discovering new plant-derived natural flavors and fragrances to use as ingredients for food and beverage products. Ben also helped establish a new College of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Ningbo, China, and there led a group studying South China Sea marine algae and selected plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ben is excited to work with the staff at SDBG and our external collaborators to better understand medicinal plants and their human health potential.

Rachel Sadowski

Conservation Manager. Rachel Sadowski received a B.S. in Environmental Science from University of Lynchburg and a Master of Advanced Studies (M.A.S.) in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her graduate school research focused on evaluating the long-term monitoring data on the plant communities in the salt marshes of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in order to establish a baseline for future sea-level rise and marsh migration. Rachel now works at the San Diego Botanic Garden, where she assists field surveys for plants of conservation interest, such as the threatened Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae) and the endangered Del Mar manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia). Her work also includes seed collection, propagation and nursery care for these plants and other California natives for the purpose of reintroduction through restoration projects.

Joe DeWolf

Habitat Restoration Project Manager. Having last worked at SDBG in 2014, Joe returns to the Garden’s conservation team in 2022 with extensive experience in restoration ecology and land management of natural areas. Most recently, he worked as an Associate Biologist for Nature Collective for six years, where he managed the community-based habitat restoration programs and spearheaded the San Elijo native plant nursery and propagation program. He also served as Park Ranger for the City of San Diego for seven years, where he focused on land management of open spaces, habitat restoration, biological monitoring, and protection of natural and cultural resources. Joe was previously a gardener for SDBG for four years, as well as a gardener for the City and County of San Francisco. He holds B.A. in Physical and Biological Anthropology from San Diego State University.

Tim Sisneros

Botanical Data & Lab Manager. Tim Sisneros is a botanist with expertise in field botany and horticulture of California’s native flora. Born and raised near the American River in Sacramento County, he spent a lot of his childhood learning the plants growing around him – a passion that has only grown since moving to Southern California in 2010. He has extensive experience in horticulture, landscape design, ecological restoration, and database management spanning almost 20 years. Tim earned his B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UCLA and is a CNPS Certified Field Botanist (CFB #0058). Tim is very excited to join SDBG and work to help conserve some of California’s most sensitive plant species and contribute to the garden’s mission to create, share, and apply plant wisdom in our world.

Sarah Gora

Agricultural Biodiversity Data Specialist. Born and raised in North Carolina, Sarah developed a passion for botany while studying biology in undergrad at UNC-Chapel Hill, finding her niche among the peaceful folks of the plant science world. Sarah has extensive fieldwork experience, including a conservation internship where she spent three months off-grid in subfreezing conditions in Northern California. Her research background includes broad scale data synthesis, meta-analysis and observational collections across multiple ecosystem types (e.g. forests, grasslands, agro-ecosystems) studying biodiversity and community response to global change. She earned a Master’s in Ecology from UNC-Greensboro, focusing on root responses to chronic nitrogen additions in the tallgrass prairie. Sarah combines her expertise in ecology and data management in her role at SDBG, with a focus on enhancing our understanding of global agricultural biodiversity and its data availability.

Emma Suster

Medicinal Collections and Nursery Technician. With a lifelong passion for and personal connection to natural spaces, Emma Suster is the third generation of her family to work in the horticultural field. Having started her career as a volunteer for local San Diego community garden sites, she has extensive training in the private nursery sector across Northern and Southern California, and completed coursework in landscape, nursery, and greenhouse management. She is excited to join the team at the San Diego Botanic Garden, working in the collections nursery and facilitating plant research projects for the Medicinal Plant Collection.

Alli Adams

Medicinal Plants Research Technician. Alli Adams received a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Physiology with a minor in Chemistry from California State University of Long Beach. After graduating, she studied California’s flora and fauna as a plant technician with the Catalina Island Conservancy where she assisted with rare plant surveys, nursery maintenance, seed processing, and invasive plant removal. For one year, she worked with the SDBG Science and Conservation team as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Rare Plant Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences (RaMP) program. Her research has focused on the metabolomics of the Santa Catalina Island endemic plant species, Eriodictyon traskiae ssp. traskiae, commonly known as Trask’s Yerba Santa. She is now advancing her work with the Medicinal Plants Research Program at SDBG, where she continues to explore the metabolic profiles of various Eriodictyon species and other medicinal plants collected and grown by the team.

Audrey Dickinson

Agricultural Genomics Research Specialist. Originally from San Diego, Audrey earned her BA in Biology from the University of Oxford. In prior research, she evaluated the consequences of different management strategies on communities of birds and mosses in cemeteries throughout California. At Oxford, she documented the use of feathers in turn-of-the-century women’s fashion in relation to historic bird conservation initiatives. Audrey now works with the San Diego Botanic Garden and the Salk Institute to analyze responses of cultivated cranberries and their wild relatives to extreme temperatures at a genomic level.

Noel Bennett

Rare Plant RaMP Specialist. Growing up in Texas, Noel always had a curiosity about the natural world, which later developed into a passion for science. While in high school, she worked alongside ecologists and horticulturists on restoration projects in her hometown of Grapevine, TX. This experience, combined with her fascination with plants, drove her to pursue a career in botany. She later attended Oregon State University, where she earned a B.S. in Botany. After living in Oregon for the past three years, she has moved to San Diego to participate in the RAMP program, a year-long post-baccalaureate training and research initiative focused on rare plant science and conservation at the San Diego Botanic Garden. She is excited to be part of the Science and Conservation team, which is dedicated to the research of rare plants.

Monica Bustamante

Rare Plant RaMP Specialist. Monica holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Arizona State University. Originally from New York, her interest in medicinal plants was ignited during her undergraduate summer research at Stony Brook University, where she investigated the effects of curcumin on cancer cells. As a participant in the National Science Foundation-funded RaMP program, Monica is dedicating a year to research focused on medicinal plants, conservation, and genomics at the San Diego Botanic Garden. She is excited about applying advanced investigative techniques to rare plant species and exploring the biochemical pathways underlying the properties of medicinal plants.

Kekoa Cantwell

Tribal Climate Resilience Specialist. A San Diego local, Kekoa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability from San Diego State University. His education and prior work experience throughout the County has equipped him with a deep understanding of environmental policy and stewardship, emphasizing the balance between development and conservation for future generations. In his role as Tribal Climate Resilience Specialist, Kekoa is eager to collaborate with Tribal and Indigenous communities in San Diego County, contributing to environmental restoration and native plant propagation initiatives. Kekoa looks forward to applying his skills and passion for sustainability to foster strong partnerships with local Tribal nations, helping to preserve and promote the cultural significance of native plants and ecosystems.

Rebekah Shane

Conservation Specialist I. Originally from Los Angeles, Rebekah recently received her degree in biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. As an undergraduate she interned at the Hoover Herbarium and participated in research on floral color distributions within the Polemoniaceae across climatic and geologic gradients. Since graduating, she completed a fellowship at the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve in partnership with the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center. There, she investigated the efficacy of fire breaks and ways to improve their capacity to support biodiversity. She is thrilled to have joined SDBG and is excited to learn a little bit every day while aiding in conservation of California’s Native plants.

Robyn Araiza

Robyn earned her B.S. and M.S. in Biochemistry at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and started teaching there in 2008. In the classroom her focus is on course development driven by application of instrumentation and greener laboratory practices, with research based on cross disciplinary projects utilizing mass spectrometry. She is now pursuing her PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. With a passion for making STEM programs available to everyone she runs community outreach programs to engage children of all ages with the hopes of empowering every child to find a sense of belonging in the sciences. Robyn believes in the lasting impact of mentoring and has created programs to connect students with industry leaders with the hope of building a powerful local industry community ready for the future. She frequently gives talks focused on food chemistry with the goal of making chemistry applicable to the general audience. Robyn is a dedicated advocate for equity in STEM and she is committed to diversifying instructional strategies both in and out of the classroom setting.

Nassrine Azimi, Ph.D.

Nassrine Azimi co-founded and currently coordinates the Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative a global campaign to disseminate and plant worldwide seeds and saplings of trees that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. At the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Azimi established the Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific in 2003, and was its first director. Prior to her work in Hiroshima she had been UNITAR’s coordinator of environmental training programs, deputy to the executive director, and chief of the Institute’s New York Office, which she reopened in 1996 and directed for five years. She is currently the Institute’s senior advisor. Azimi has published extensively on UN peacekeeping and peace-building, post-conflict reconstruction, environmental and cultural governance, and Asia. She is the author of ‘Last Boat to Yokohama’ and ‘The United States and Cultural Heritage Protection in Japan, 1945-1952’ and teaches international peace and security at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts. She becomes SDBG research associate as of April 1, 2023.

Michelle Balk

Michelle Balk is a biologist and botanist with over 20 years of experience in California, focusing on rare plants. She is the founder and CEO of Balk Biological, Inc., a biological consulting firm headquartered in Carlsbad.

Jim A. Bartel

After retiring in 2014 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and his work on endangered species conservation, Jim continues his more than 40 years of botanical research on the genetics, ecology, and taxonomy of western or New World cypresses (Hesperocyparis) and their close allies. Much of his recent ecological work has focused on the effects of increasing fire frequency and related climate change impacts to the cypress stands in the western United States. Jim also continues his studies of the taxonomy and distribution of the succulent genus Dudleya in California.

Dan Carver

Dan Carver is a Technical Manager in the Geospatial Centroid at Colorado State University. Dan is excited to be collaborating with SDBG on a variety of projects associated with species and landscape conservation. Dan brings his background in geography and geospatial science, with an MA in Geography from the University of Colorado Denver, to provide quantitative measures of conservation status. His foundational experiences in the deciduous forest of Illinois and the mountains of Southern Colorado have cemented for him the importance of plants in wild places.

Lea Corkidi

A Biologist and Plant Ecologist by education, Lea’s professional development has also been closely related to the field of horticulture. She started doing applied research in plant production systems at Tree of Life Nursery in 2000, and for the last nine years, she has been part of the research team of the Nursery and Floriculture program at UC Cooperative Extension of San Diego County. She has collaborated on studies about different aspects of propagation, nutrient, and pest management of California native and non-native plants. Lea recently participated in a multistate research effort to investigate the impact of horticultural management practices on pollinators, and is presently involved in a project to promote habitat for bees.

Hannes Dempewolf, Ph.D.

Hannes is a senior curator at the Gothenburg Botanical Garden and a senior scientist and chief strategic advisor at the Global Crop Diversity Trust. He is broadly interested in ideas and initiatives to advance global cooperation in conservation and use of plant biodiversity. He works at the interface of partnerships, resource mobilization, project development, science and policy. Throughout his career, Hannes has contributed to and led various botanical research and plant conservation initiatives, such as the Crop Trust’s project “Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Collecting, Protecting and Preparing Crop Wild Relatives”. Hannes studied Plant Science at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh in Scotland and completed his PhD training in Botany at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His scientific interest focuses on the evolution, maintenance and conservation of agrobiodiversity and the importance of such diversity for farming and indigenous communities worldwide.

Astral Heidemann

Astral Heidemann is currently completing a B.S. in Biochemistry at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). They are working as an intern at SDBG in 2024 with an Undergraduate Research Grant from the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) to further advance a pre-existing CSUSM research project. The project aims to establish the structure of an unknown molecule found within the spiny redberry plant, Rhamnus crocea, which is a California native medicinal plant. They are currently the Treasurer of the Out in STEM (oSTEM) organization on campus which aims to support LGBTQIA+ students in STEM and give them professional resources. In Summer 2023, they had the opportunity to participate in the NSF REU research program at CSUSM where they completed epigenetics work investigating telomere attrition in South African Penguins.

Dikko Jeff Gafna, Ph.D.

Dikko Jeff Gafna was born and raised along the shores of Lake Victoria, in Kenya. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Geography from Moi University in Kenya, and an Ph.D. in Biogeography from Kenyatta University, Kenya. He is currently a PhD student with specialization in medicinal plants conservation ecology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. Dikko has a wealth of experience in medicinal plants surveying, modeling, and conservation. He is a visiting researcher at SDBG and is looking forward to collaboration aimed at enhancing medicinal plant species conservation in California, throughout the U.S., and beyond. (Visiting Research Associate 2023)

Jade d’Alpoim Guedes, Ph.D.

Jade d’Alpoim Guedes is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. She is a environmental archaeologist and computational modeller who studies how humans adapted their foraging practices and agricultural strategies to new environments. Jade earned her PhD at Harvard University in 2013 and carried out a postdoctoral fellowship in Earth Planetary Science where she developed computational models that charted the spread of agriculture to Southwest China and the Tibetan Plateau. She directs the paleoethnobotany laboratory at UCSD where she has analyzed material from a wide variety of contexts across China, Southeast Asia, Harappa and the Pacific Northwest. She currently directs an NSF funded interdisciplinary fieldwork project in the Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan Province, China that uses a combination of computational modeling, ancient climate reconstruction and geomorphology to chart how humans adapted their agricultural strategies to the challenging environment of the foothills of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. This project also involves experimental research and field trials of crop landraces aimed at improving the models used to understand ancient crop distribution and their resistance to climate change.

Jessica Keatly

Jessica Keatly is an accomplished graduate from California State University San Marcos, where she recently earned her BA in Environmental Studies. Recognized for her dedication and research in conservation horticulture, she was awarded the Keller Scholarship for Conservation Horticulture from the Garden Club of America. Jessica is engaging in experiential learning opportunities at the San Diego Botanic Garden to further her research that applies artificial intelligence to automate the detection and identification of insect pollinators. (Visiting Research Associate Summer 2023)

Todd P. Michael, Ph.D.

Todd fell in love with the diversity of plants back in the seventh grade after doing a leaf collecting project. He decided he wanted to understand the underlying code making plants so interesting, so he set off on a journey to sequence plant genomes. His lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies focuses on just that – sequencing and analyzing plant genomes. At the Salk Institute his group is part of the Harnessing Plant Initiative (HPI) that aims to develop crop plants that sequester more carbon via extensive root systems containing recalcitrant carbon polymers to fight climate change. In partnership with SDBG, Todd is continuing to explore the diversity of plant genomes with a focus on developing resources to preserve rare, medicinal, and regionally important plants. Todd received his PhD from Dartmouth College, and BA from the University of Virginia.

Christine Tara Peterson, Ph.D.

Dr. Christine Tara Peterson, Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology, is a distinguished Ayurvedic practitioner and researcher, recognized for pioneering the integration of Ayurvedic Medicine with modern scientific methodologies. During her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Integrative Health at UCSD School of Medicine, she conducted groundbreaking research on Ayurvedic herbs, leading to her promotion as Assistant Project Scientist in the Department of Family Medicine. A graduate of the California College of Ayurveda and a professional member of NAMA, Christine’s dedication to learning spans globally, studying under renowned Ayurvedic clinicians. Her research focus includes Clinical Trials, microbiome modulation, and Natural Products Discovery, contributing significantly to Ayurveda’s evidence-based establishment. As Director of The Institute for Vedic Research, Dr. Peterson’s clinical expertise extends to guiding individuals in Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vedic Sciences, specializing in gut and nervous system disorders and women’s health. Dr. Peterson’s work has been instrumental in bridging the gap between Ayurvedic medicine and conventional healthcare, facilitating its integration into modern healthcare practices.

Mike Simpson, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael G. Simpson is a Professor Emeritus of Biology at San Diego State University (SDSU) and curator of the SDSU Herbarium. His areas of expertise are plant taxonomy, plant molecular phylogenetics, and floristics. Dr. Simpson currently coordinates and co-teaches a spring course at SDSU, Field Botany of San Diego County. In addition to publishing articles in technical journals, Dr. Simpson is author of the widely used textbook Plant Systematics, winner of the Gleason award given by the New York Botanical Garden. His past work centered on the monocot family Haemodoraceae, a morphologically diverse family distributed in Australia, southern Africa, northern South America and Central America, and eastern North America. His current focus is on the biogeography, evolution, and taxonomy of the Popcorn Flowers, subtribe Amsinckiinae of the family Boraginaceae. Dr. Simpson also studies biogeographic patterns and processes of plants with an American amphitropical distribution (AAD), those occurring in North and South America but not in the intervening tropics.

Pieter van Rooyen, Ph.D.

Pieter is the Founder and CEO of Pleno Inc., which seeks to revolutionize how genomic markers are detected by merging technologies from industries as disparate as telecommunications and genomics. Pieter has more than 30 years of experience inventing, developing and successfully commercializing technologies in industries including semiconductors, wireless, health care, life sciences, image processing, and retail automation. His passion for bringing to market innovative technologies has led to the formation and funding of a number of technology start-ups with significant global impact. Prior to founding Pleno, Pieter was co-founder of Edico Genome, which was acquired by Illumina in 2018, and whose technology forms a foundational part of all new sequencing instruments from Illumina, reducing data analysis time from days to minutes. Prior to Edico Genome, Pieter was involved in the emerging mobile health industry, in which mobile phone technology enables innovative health care delivery in underserved communities.

Sula Vanderplank, Ph.D.

Sula has been working on the flora and ecology of the Californias since 2004, with a focus on the peninsula of Baja California. She is particularly interested in cross-border initiatives and synthetic transdisciplinary studies, and she conducts mostly field-based research.

Jessie Vinje

Jessie is a biologist with 26 years of expertise in field biology, botany, land management, and conservation planning in California, particularly in coastal and desert ecosystems. She has been the lead biologist/botanist and project manager on more than 30 projects in Southern California. She is particularly knowledgeable of the Southern California Coastal area and Coastal ranges, Western and Central Mojave Desert, and Central and Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges where she has surveyed for and located more than 100 threatened, endangered, or sensitive California plant taxa. She also performs sensitive wildlife surveys for the coastal California gnatcatcher and the least Bell’s vireo. Jessie specializes in sensitive species surveys, monitoring, and management, and preparing conservation strategies for rare plants and open space preserves. She currently leads the Inspect and Manage (IMG) Rare Plant Monitoring Program for the San Diego Monitoring and Management Program (SDMMP) and is experienced in public outreach and conservation planning.

Science & Conservation

Science & Conservation Team